Method for setting a boot list to disks with multiple boot logical volumes

• US 8,516,233 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2010
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Mark Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): YANCHUS III, PAUL B
• Application Number:
  US12/961,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20120144176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 713/100
• US Class Current: 713/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4406 Loading of operating system

Abstract

A method dynamically determines the contents of a Boot Logical Volume from within a System Management Service menu. Responsive to receiving the scan request, a system dynamically scans a root volume group to identify special files associated with the various base operating systems stored on the boot logical volumes of the root volume group. The system then maps the files to a specific operating systems version, and presents a list of the available operating systems on the various boot logical volumes to a user.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for dynamically determining the contents of a boot logical volume from within a system management service menu, the method comprising:

receiving a scan request, wherein the scan request is received from within the system management service menu, wherein the system management service menu is a basic firmware user interface provided as part of a basic input/output system of a data processing system;

responsive to receiving a scan request, dynamically scanning at least one root volume group to identify a first set of special files associated with a first base operating system stored on a first boot logical volume of the at least one root volume group, wherein the first set of special files is associated with one of a particular hardware device or resource of the data processing system, wherein the first base operating system uses first set of special files to provide file input/output access to a first set of specific character device drivers, a first set of block device drivers, or combinations thereof;

responsive to identifying the first set of special files, mapping the first set of special files to a first operating systems version corresponding to the first base operating system; and

presenting the first operating systems version corresponding to the first base operating system to a user.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

dynamically scanning at least one root volume group to identify a second set of special files associated with a second base operating system stored on a second boot logical volume of the at least one root volume group;

responsive to identifying the second set of special files, mapping the second set of special files to a second operating systems version corresponding to the second base operating system; and

presenting the second operating systems version corresponding to the second base operating system to the user.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first set of special files is associated with a particular hardware device or particular resource of a computer system.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first set of special files are non-volatile random access memory special files.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first set of special files are logical volume device driver special files.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the first base operating system is a first version of an operating system respecting a division between a user-space and a kernel-space, and wherein the second base operating system is a second version of the operating system respecting the division between the user-space and the kernel-space.

7. A computer program product for dynamically determining the contents of a boot logical volume from within a system management service menu, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to receive a scan request, wherein the scan request is received from within the system management service menu, wherein the system management service menu is a basic firmware user interface provided as part of a basic input/output system of a data processing system;

computer readable program code configured, responsive to receiving a scan request, to dynamically scan at least one root volume group to identify a first set of special files associated with a first base operating system stored on a first boot logical volume of the at least one root volume group, wherein the first set of special files is associated with one of a particular hardware device or resource of the data processing system, wherein the first base operating system uses first set of special files to provide file input/output access to a first set of specific character device drivers, a first set of block device drivers, or combinations thereof;

computer readable program code configured, responsive to identifying the first set of special files, to map the first set of special files to a first operating systems version corresponding to the first base operating system; and

computer readable program code configured to present the first operating systems version corresponding to the first base operating system to a user.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to dynamically scan at least one root volume group to identify a second set of special files associated with a second base operating system stored on a second boot logical volume of the at least one root volume group;

computer readable program code configured, responsive to identifying the second set of special files, to map the second set of special files to a second operating systems version corresponding to the second base operating system; and

computer readable program code configured to present the second operating systems version corresponding to the second base operating system to the user.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the first set of special files is associated with a particular hardware device or particular resource of a computer system.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the first set of special files are non-volatile random access memory special files.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the first set of special files are logical volume device driver special files.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the first base operating system is a first version of an operating system respecting a division between a user-space and a kernel-space, and wherein the second base operating system is a second version of the operating system respecting the division between the user-space and the kernel-space.

13. A data processing system comprising:

a storage having a computer program product encoded thereon for dynamically determining the contents of a boot logical volume from within a system management service menu;

a bus system connecting the storage to a processor; and

a processor, wherein the processor executes to the computer program product;

to receive a scan request, wherein the scan request is received from within the system management service menu, wherein the system management service menu is a basic firmware user interface provided as part of a basic input/output system of a data processing system;

responsive to receiving a scan request, to dynamically scan at least one root volume group to identify a first set of special files associated with a first base operating system stored on a first boot logical volume of the at least one root volume group, wherein the first set of special files is associated with one of a particular hardware device or resource of the data processing system, wherein the first base operating system uses first set of special files to provide file input/output access to a first set of specific character device drivers, a first set of block device drivers, or combinations thereof;

responsive to identifying the first set of special files, to map the first set of special files to a first operating systems version corresponding to the first base operating system; and

to present the first operating systems version corresponding to the first base operating system to a user.

14. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the processor further executes to the computer program product:

to dynamically scan at least one root volume group to identify a second set of special files associated with a second base operating system stored on a second boot logical volume of the at least one root volume group;

to identifying the second set of special files, to map the second set of special files to a second operating systems version corresponding to the second base operating system; and

to present the second operating systems version corresponding to the second base operating system to the user.

15. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the first set of special files is associated with a particular hardware device or particular resource of a computer system.

16. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the first set of special files are non-volatile random access memory special files.

17. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the first set of special files are logical volume device driver special files.

18. The data processing system of claim 14, wherein the first base operating system is a first version of an operating system respecting a division between a user-space and a kernel-space, and wherein the second base operating system is a second version of the operating system respecting the division between the user-space and the kernel-space.